Kurumi's School Life Reincarnation: A Sweet and Bitter Love Triangle!?
During an after-school piano session in the music room, Kurumi suddenly finds herself transported to another world. She arrives at 'Kurumi Academy,' a slightly peculiar high school, retaining only the memories of her original life.
Enrolled as a first-year student with the same name, Kurumi Hazakura, she begins a new life full of heart-pounding and exciting events with new friends, all while thinking she used to be a normal high schooler with no special powers.
The most popular boy in class, T
Kurumi's School Life Reincarnation: A Sweet and Bitter Love Triangle!? - The Silent Prince of the Library
Three days had passed since she transferred in.
Kurumi had gotten a little more used to her new life, but there were still so many things she didn't understand.
She already knew that Kurumi Academy wasn't a normal school.
After all, having fifteen or even twenty transfer students in a single year was strange, wasn't it? And yet, everyone acted like it was perfectly normal.
"We get a lot of transfer students because it's something of a tradition at this academy."
She remembered her homeroom teacher, Umehara-sensei, saying that yesterday.
When Kurumi had told him she wanted to learn more about this world, the teacher had smiled warmly and pulled a pamphlet from the bookshelf in the staff room.
"Try going to the library. It's called the 'Forest of Pages.' There are lots of materials about Kurumi Academy's history and Hanagurumi City. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for."
So, after school today.
Kurumi had come to the library.
The second floor of the new school building.
A large set of double doors at the end of the hallway.
Above them hung a wooden sign with the words "Forest of Pages" written in rounded letters.
With a creak, she opened the door.
In that instant, the soft scent of old paper drifted toward her.
Along with air that was just a little dusty, and the silence of an empty room.
"Wow…"
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Enormous bookshelves, reaching all the way to the ceiling, stood in rows upon rows.
The afternoon light streaming through the windows made the dust in the air sparkle and shine.
The spines of the books were lined up in a rainbow of colors.
Red, blue, green, brown.
Just like a rainbow.
Kurumi began to walk slowly.
The floor was made of dark brown wooden planks, and each step she took made a tiny creak.
Every time she passed between the bookshelves, she felt a strange sensation, as if she had wandered into another world.
(It's so big…)
Kurumi glanced around restlessly.
Near the entrance, there was a counter where a woman with graying hair sat reading a book.
Takamori Sawa-sensei.
A part-time librarian who was always smiling and kind.
She didn't seem to notice Kurumi right now.
Passing by the counter, Kurumi headed further inside.
—That was when it happened.
She noticed someone sitting at a single-person desk by the window.
It was a boy.
His jet-black hair was a little long, his bangs falling over his left eye.
His narrow, sharp eyes were fixed intently on the paperback in his hands, not even blinking.
He wore his uniform blazer properly, and his back was perfectly straight.
She could see a small callus on the index finger of his right hand.
He was like a sculpture.
For a moment, she forgot to breathe.
Because the boy radiated an intense aura that practically screamed, "Don't talk to me."
Quiet, cold, but incredibly beautiful.
(Who is he… I wonder if he's in my class…)
Kurumi tilted her head.
Maybe she hadn't seen him in the classroom.
He might have always been in a corner seat, either reading a book or sleeping.
(I probably shouldn't talk to him…)
With a small nod to herself, Kurumi quietly hid behind a bookshelf, careful not to make any noise.
Her heart was pounding in her chest.
Somehow, she felt like she had seen something she really wasn't supposed to see.
(A-Anyway, let's do some research…)
Pulling herself together, Kurumi faced the bookshelf.
She needed to find a book about the history of Hanagurumi City.
But all the bookshelves were so tall, and she couldn't reach the upper shelves.
"Hmm… maybe that one?"
A thick book caught her eye.
"The Local History of Hanagurumi City."
Third shelf from the top.
Kurumi stretched up on her tiptoes and pushed the spine of the book with her fingertips.
—At that moment.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!!
Her fingers slipped.
The books came tumbling down like an avalanche.
One, two, three, four—.
They slammed against the floor with a loud, dramatic noise.
"Eeeek!"
Kurumi jumped.
Oh no.
She'd done it now.
She hurriedly tried to crouch down, but in that instant—
—A shadow fell over her.
She looked up.
The black-haired boy who should have been by the window just moments ago was standing right in front of her.
When had he—?
She hadn't heard any footsteps at all.
Up close, he was even more striking.
His skin was pale, his eyelashes were long, and his eyes were a deep black.
He was also much taller than Kurumi.
About 178 centimeters.
Looking up at him, Kurumi felt like her neck might start hurting.
The boy said nothing.
He just looked down expressionlessly at the books scattered on the floor and slowly crouched down.
Then, he began picking them up, one by one.
His long fingers gently brushed off the covers.
He dusted them off and stacked them neatly.
His movements were incredibly quiet, incredibly careful.
As if treating books with care was the most natural thing in the world.
"U-Um!"
Kurumi called out to him in a panic.
"I-I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz, I'm always dropping things! I'm really, really sorry!"
The boy didn't look up.
He silently continued picking up the books.
One, then another.
"I-It's okay! I can pick them up myself! Please don't worry about it!"
Kurumi crouched down, trying to help him pick up the books.
But the boy was faster.
He quickly gathered them all and stood up.
Then, he held the stack of books out to her.
"…Here."
His voice was very quiet.
So faint that it seemed like it might disappear if the wind blew.
Kurumi hastily accepted them.
"O-Oh, thank you…!"
The boy was no longer looking at her.
He turned his back and returned to his seat by the window.
He sat down in his chair and started reading his book again.
As if everything that had just happened had been an illusion.
Kurumi stood there, dumbfounded.
(Huh…)
Was that it?
Was he angry?
It wasn't so much that he was unfriendly, more like he just wasn't interested.
He'd helped her, but he was so cold.
(Did I do something wrong…?)
Flustered, Kurumi began putting the books back on the shelf.
But she couldn't stop thinking about him.
She was intensely curious about that boy.
Each time she put a book back, she glanced over at the window.
The boy didn't move a muscle.
Only his fingertips moved as he turned the pages.
That tiny, tiny callus on his finger.
(He must really love books…)
It was a writer's callus from reading too much.
Kurumi had a pianist's callus on the ring finger of her right hand, too.
Somehow, she felt a small sense of kinship.
(…I have to thank him properly.)
Making up her mind, once she had put all the books back, Kurumi approached the window seat again.
One step, then another.
Her footsteps felt strangely loud.
She stood in front of the boy's desk.
"Um… thank you so much for earlier. You really helped me out."
She bowed her head.
But there was no reply.
"U-Um, I'm Kurumi Hazakura, from class 1-3. I'm a transfer student, so there's still a lot I don't know…"
Silence.
"Um… you're a first-year too, right? Are you… maybe in the same class?"
Silence.
The fingers turning the pages stopped for just a moment.
But then they started moving again immediately.
Kurumi was at a loss.
Was he ignoring her?
Or was this his way of telling her not to talk to him?
(But I still want to thank him…!)
"Um, really, thank you so much! You were a huge help! I'm always tripping and dropping things, so you really saved me—"
—That was when it happened.
The boy finally looked up.
Through the gap in his bangs, his black eyes peered out.
Her eyes met his directly.
Her heart leaped in her chest.
She couldn't look away.
Deep, quiet, but a black that seemed to draw her in.
Like peering into a lake at night.
And then—.
The corner of his mouth relaxed, just a tiny bit.
It was such a slight change that she wasn't even sure if it could be called a smile.
But he had definitely smiled.
Then, he shook his head slightly.
As if to say, "Don't worry about it."
That gesture was so gentle that Kurumi was left speechless.
(Ah…)
A warmth spread through the center of her chest.
This person, he might be unfriendly, but he was actually incredibly kind.
The way he'd picked up the books earlier was proof of that.
So careful, so precious.
He probably just wasn't good with words.
"…Thank you."
Kurumi bowed her head slightly once more.
The boy had already returned his gaze to his book.
But the atmosphere felt softer than it had before.
Kurumi quietly left the area.
Her heart was still pounding loudly.
(I didn't get his name…)
But, well, that was okay.
She might see him again.
After all, they went to the same academy.
Picking up "The Local History of Hanagurumi City," Kurumi headed for the counter.
The librarian, Takamori-sensei, smiled and checked the book out for her.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Yes, finally. But the library is so big, I feel like I might get lost."
"Hehe, I hear that a lot. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask."
"Thank you very much!"
Clutching the book, Kurumi left the library.
As she closed the door, she glanced over at the window seat one last time.
The boy was reading his book, just as before.
The setting sun was dyeing his black hair just a little bit orange.
(…He was a quiet person.)
Still, that moment when their eyes had met, she'd felt something strange.
It was as if his eyes were seeing her as something more than just a transfer student.
As if he could see right through to the depths of her heart—.
She shook her head vigorously.
(I'm overthinking it.)
Kurumi closed the door and started walking down the hallway.
That was when it happened.
"Kurumi-chaaan!"
A familiar voice flew toward her from down the hallway.
She looked up to see Honda Takuto running toward her, waving his hand energetically.
His brown hair bounced softly, and the walnut earring on his left ear glinted.
Takuto screeched to a halt in front of Kurumi and grinned.
"Yo! Whatcha doin' here? Headin' home?"
"Takuto-kun! Yeah, I was just doing some research in the library…"
"Eh, the Forest of Pages? You go to the library, Kurumi-chan? That's unexpected! I figured you were more the active type."
"That's mean. I read books too, you know."
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. So, what book did you borrow? Looks heavy."
"A book about the history of Hanagurumi City. I want to learn more about this place."
"Whoa, that's admirable. I'm totally hopeless with history."
Takuto laughed, then tilted his head slightly.
"By the way, was anyone else in the library? Wasn't it super quiet?"
"Ah, yeah. There was a boy with black hair sitting by the window…"
As Kurumi started to speak, Takuto's smile froze for just a moment.
"…Ah, Reiji, huh."
His tone of voice dropped slightly.
It was a little different from his usual energetic self.
"His name's Reiji-kun? He's in our class, right? What's he like? He's really quiet, but I bet he's actually kind."
"Kurogane Reiji. That guy… he doesn't really interact with people much."
After a brief pause, Takuto forced a smile.
"[forced smile]But he's not a bad guy. He's just… a little different."
"Different?"
"You know, he's always reading books and never talks. It's like you never know what he's thinking. Well, I don't dislike him or anything! Yeah, not at all!"
Saying that quickly, Takuto took Kurumi's hand as if to change the subject.
"More importantly, let's stop by the school store on the way home! I heard they've got new walnut cookies!"
"Eh, walnut cookies?"
"Yeah, yeah! A new product from Konarado! And they're super good!"
"Let's go, let's go!"
Pulled along by Takuto, Kurumi started walking down the hallway.
But the look on Takuto's face from earlier lingered in the back of her mind.
(Takuto-kun looked a little troubled.)
Was he worried about Reiji-kun?
Or had something happened between the two of them?
"Oh yeah, Kurumi-chan!"
As they were going down the stairs, Takuto suddenly turned around.
"There's something I wanna talk to you about soon! A super interesting story!"
"Eh, what is it?"
"That's—something to l
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